Browsing by Author "Aasen, Kristen"
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Item Efficacy testing of non-oxidizing biocides for polyamide membrane biofouling prevention using a modified CDC biofilm reactor(AQUA - Water, Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society, 2023) Da-Silva-Correa, Luiz H.; Aasen, Kristen; Gamm, Nicole E.; Godoy, Rafaela; Rahmati, Negar; Buckley, Heather LouisaBiofouling is one of the most challenging obstacles faced by reverse osmosis (RO) membrane systems to supply potable water. Currently, biofouling is imperfectly handled by RO feed water pre-chlorination, which is associated with the production of carcinogenic disinfection by-products. To propose a safer alternative to control biofouling in RO drinking water applications, this study investigates the efficacy of five biocides to prevent and remove Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms from RO membranes: 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (MIT); 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA); sodium bisulfite (SBS); sodium benzoate (SB); and ethyl lauroyl arginate (LAE). Experiments were conducted on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Biofilm Reactor (CBR) with biocidal dosing estimated on 96-well microtiter plates. Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy (CLSM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the biocides' anti-biofilm efficacies under dynamic conditions relative to minimum biofilm inhibitory and eradication concentrations. The results in this study indicated that LAE presented the best anti-biofilm efficacies in treating P. aeruginosa biofilms when compared to all studied biocides; it not only prevented biofilm formation (>98%) but also it effectively removed pre-established biofilms (>99%) from RO membrane coupons. Therefore, due to safety and efficacy, LAE is an excellent candidate for controlling biofouling in drinking water RO membrane systems.